Information and broadcasting (I&B) minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Monday said the government is open-minded and flexible about a broadcasting regulation law and will act on it after extensive consultations.
The minister’s remarks came on a day FE reported, citing sources, that the ministry would not come out with any fresh draft of the Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill as there was no need for such a law.
The government withdrew a draft Bill last week following public criticism that it proposed to bring online content creators under the purview of licensing or registration. Sources earlier said the draft was withdrawn after it was felt that regulations were already in place and a new law was not required.
Vaishnaw said the government will look now at a much wider consultation process.
“We are very flexible, we are very open-minded. We want this entire new medium to flourish. We will have very extensive consultations, then look at the form and content of the Bill,” Vaishnaw told reporters here.
Official sources said the Bill was on hold for now and a decision on bringing a fresh draft would be taken after analysing its need and the present set of regulations.
Officials in the know said the government’s intent is not to discourage the content creator economy and it wants to give them an opportunity to express, share, and create new intellectual property.
The Information Technology (IT) Rules, which were amended in 2021, already have provisions to deal with any objectionable content on social media. Under it, all social media platforms have appointed grievance redressal officers who need to liaise with the government as well as consumers over such complaints.
The government had placed the first draft of the broadcasting Bill for public consultation in November last year. After the public draft, the government had released draft copies only to select shareholders, drawing criticism.
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